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There are several electronic options to consider. Online discussions can facilitate communication between students. Consider having students post their work on the web and allow peer review and discussion of papers, assignments, and lab results. A few ground rules and participation requirements can be set to keep the discussion relevant and active. In addition, email exchanges with professionals, students on other campuses, and community members can extend learning beyond your campus.

Yes. It is most helpful if all speakers identify themselves by name prior to responding to a question or making a discussion comment. Any demonstrations or visual aides will also need to be verbally described.

In most cases, a student who is blind will type written assignments on the computer. The assignments can then be submitted online via the same methods as their sighted counterparts, as long as those methods are designed in a way that is accessible to students' assistive technologies.

Students who are blind can also submit materials in print form, or via email, flash drive, or via file-transfer service, depending on the preferences of the student and instructor. Sometimes, particularly during tests, students may also dictate short answers to a reader who will handwrite responses.

When writing text or equations on the board or in PowerPoint, it is important to clearly say aloud what is being written. When mathematical expressions and formulae are involved, attention to detail, such as capitalization and the placement of parentheses, is crucial. If graphs are presented, the features relevant to the material being covered should be described during the lecture. Avoid vague terms such as "this", "that", "here", and "there".

To accommodate students with low vision, use large print for text and handouts. While size will depend upon the needs of the individual, large print is usually defined as 16 to 18 point bold type depending on the typeface used. A standard Roman typeface, using upper and lower cases, is more readable than italicized, oblique, or condensed fonts. To enlarge print from standard 12 point original text to 16-18 point, use a 150-165% enlargement setting on a copier or printer.

Additional ways to accommodate students with low vision include:

Yes. It is possible to fail a student with a disability. The laws mandate access to education, not guaranteed academic success. When a faculty member has provided reasonable academic accommodations, all that is required to comply with the law, and the student does not meet the course requirements, then failing a student is proper and lawful. The following is a compliance checklist that may be helpful:

Students who wish to exercise their right to disability-related accommodations must provide the campus disabled student services office with documentation of their disability. The disabled student services office then notifies their instructors that specific accommodations are necessary. On most campuses, instructors receive written notification describing the nature of the appropriate academic adjustments for the student.

The institution is required by federal regulation to establish formal grievance procedures for providing prompt and equitable resolution of disagreements. When a dispute involves the conduct of a course or academic program, those procedures provide for consultation between the faculty member responsible for the course, the student, and a representative from the disabled student services office. Contact your disabled student services office to learn about the grievance procedures on your campus.

An instructor is typically required to allow a student to tape record her course if taping the class is determined to be an appropriate accommodation for a student's disability. Tape recorders are specifically mentioned in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act as a means of providing full participation in educational programs and activities. Occasionally, classroom discussion reveals items of a personal nature about students.

Yes. In addition to the "effective communication" standard, OCR has, in at least one resolution letter, favorably cited a judicial decision (Tyler v. City of Manhattan, 857 F.Supp. 800 (D.Kan.1994)) in which the court ruled that a postsecondary institution violated its obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) when it only responded on a case-by-case or ad hoc basis to individual requests for accommodation.